EQUIPMENT CARE AND MAINTENANCE

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Understanding and caring for

or thigh may be used (change the site
used if frequent measurements are
needed).
• Use an alcohol swab to clean the site
and let the alcohol dry.
• Insert the test strip into the monitor,
a Schiotz tonometer
following the instructions (Figure 1). Ismael Cordero
• Use a single-use lancet or a lancing Clinical Engineer, Philadelphia, USA. Figure 1
device to draw blood (Figure 2) and ismaelcordero@me.com
dispose of it in a sharps container.
• Apply the blood to the testing strip A Schiotz tonometer is an instrument for Scale
(Figure 3) in the correct way: some measuring the intraocular pressure (IOP).
strips need the blood drop to be over Although the Schiotz tonometer does
the whole of the test pad and some not make as precise measurements as Needle
suck up the blood directly from the site other types of tonometers, it is
of the bleeding. inexpensive, simple to use, durable,
• Place the alcohol swab (note: it will
Weights
requires little maintenance, does not
sting) or a piece of gauze over the site have electronics, does not require
(Figure 4) and hold it there, or let the batteries, and can be stored for years
patient hold it there until the bleeding between uses. These qualities make it
stops. Monitor for excess bleeding. well suited for screening and remote or
• Read and record the result, reporting Lever arm
mobile clinics.
and/or responding to abnormal readings. The Schiotz tonometer consists of a Plunger
• Tell the patient what the result is, hollow barrel with a concave footplate
explain it and discuss options. Holder
and a holder (Figure 1). A free-floating,
• Dispose of all used equipment safely, rod-like plunger with a 5.5 gram weight Barrel
in line with hospital or health care attached fits inside the barrel. When
policies. held vertically on top of the eye, the
plunger will move downwards by gravity Foot plate
and indent the cornea. This very small
Calibrating the blood up-and-down movement is magnified by
Test block
glucose monitor a lever arm to move a needle that gives Calibration check procedure
a reading on a horizontal scale numbered A calibration check should be done at
• Calibrate the monitor and each new arbitrarily 0–20. A firmer eye, due to the start of every day. Place the footplate
pack of test strips together. higher IOP, will result in a lower inden- of the instrument on the rounded test
• Calibrate the monitor each week. tation and a lower reading on the scale. block (the dummy cornea) provided with
• Place the control solution on a test Since the Schiotz tonometer does the tonometer’s storage case. With the
strip and check that the value not measure pressure directly, a footplate resting on the test block, a
shown on the monitor matches the conversion table, supplied with the correctly calibrated instrument will have
value on the bottle (or the pack of instrument, is used to translate scale a scale reading of zero.
strips it accompanies). Record the readings into estimates of IOP in mmHg. If not, you can calibrate it to zero.
calibration readings. To account for the range of pressure,
• If the needle is to the left of zero,
• If one is provided, use the check other weights (typically 7.5 g and 10 g)
rotate the footplate in a clockwise
strip to make sure that the meter is are supplied that can be added to the
direction and check again.
working. plunger.
• If the needle is to the right of the zero
Table 1. Schiotz scale conversion table position, rotate the footplate in an
anti-clockwise direction.
Figure 4
Scale Ocular pressure,
reading mmHg Cleaning
Cleaning of the barrel and the plunger
5.5 g 7.5 g 10.0 g
should be done once a day to prevent
weight weight weight
the plunger from sticking to the barrel.
3.0 24.4 35.8 50.6 1 Remove the plunger and use gauze with
4.0 20.6 30.4 43.4 alcohol to clean the plunger and tip.
2 Clean the inside of the barrel with an
5.0 17.3 25.8 37.2 alcohol-soaked cotton swab and then
with a dry cotton swab.
6.0 14.6 21.9 31.8
3 Clean the footplate with gauze and
7.0 12.2 18.5 27.2 alcohol.
Elmien Wolvaardt Ellison

4 Allow it to dry and then place, disas-

8.0 10.2 15.6 23.1 sembled, in its case.
9.0 8.5 13.1 19.6 In between patients, the Schiotz
tonometer should be disinfected by
10.0 7.1 10.9 16.5
soaking it in sodium hypochlorite.

COMMUNITY EYE HEALTH JOURNAL | VOLUME 26 87 | 2013

27 ISSUE 84 2014 57